Driving on a highway requires you to be careful and alert. Going slow on the slow lane is boring. Speeding on the fast lane could be risky and I might miss the scenery, so I take the middle lane.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Updates

Wow, it's been over three weeks since I wrote here.....ACE have been busy with daily routines and distractions.

Since the Justin Bieber fever (see previous post), the One Direction fever continues with daily doses of their hits in the car and in the shower by the young fan. Also, occasional sightings of another litter of four kittens at our back alley create distractions from homework, music practice or simply getting on with necessary daily functions like showering, eating, etc....This cat menace is not going to end as long as the neighbours keep feeding them.

A spate of break-ins in our 'taman' plus the efficient reporting of crime on a daily basis via social media networks has gotten the general public on the alert. Many snatch cases involving bikers riding up to your car window, smashing it and grabbing your valuables, hit-and-hijack cases where the perpetrators hit your car and when you get down to inspect the damage from the 'accident', they assault or kidnap you and hijack your car, and those who just rush up to you, put a knife to your throat and demand for your cash and valuables, etc, etc, etc.....

The fasting month of Ramadan is coming to an end. The Hari Raya holidays coincide with the one-week school holidays beginning 18th August. The capital city will very likely be deserted again with the 'balik kampung' exodus. The highways will surely be packed with crawling cars.

The London Olympics came to an end an hour ago. I caught the last half hour of the closing ceremony. This round, Malaysia bagged two medals -- a silver in badminton and a bronze in diving. Both wins were well-deserved and brought Malaysians together in the true muhibah spirit, much more than the lip-service 1Malaysia the ruling government has been harping about. Lee Chong Wei fought a good fight against Lin Dan in the badminton finals. ACE caught the entire game at home with C cheering her loudest for LCW and cursing Lin Dan when he scored. And she shed tears when he lost by two points. Didn't expect her to be so 'into' that game and reacting that way! We didn't watch Pandelela Rinong win her bronze in diving -- the first ever non-badminton medal and the first female to win one for the country. A great achievement.

On Saturday, ACE watched a homeschooled students' production of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice held at the PJ Live Arts theatre. It was a good debut performance by the Histrionia Acting Troupe. Once again, homeschoolers have proven that their 'system' is not inferior to the generally-preferred mass education system.

Weekends come and go so quickly. It feels like we keep playing catch-up with all the things we need and want to do. I find this cycle hard to break, and it's very tiring. It's gone beyond burnout....ashes, maybe! Amidst the frustrations (dealing with a strong-willed pre-teen especially), complaints, tantrums, anger fits, I guess ACE do appreciate what we have, although C needs to be reminded ever so often how fortunate and blessed she is, compared to less fortunate children. I find that daily spiritual reflection helps. Breaking the routine once in a while like going shopping or watching tv helps a little although it is merely a temporary distraction.

On the house front, after 4.5 years in this home, some things need to be re-looked, but the extra cash for such projects is not readily available. Some problems with our kitchen cabinet drawer and door are being fixed, a minor renovation in our wet kitchen and backyard for better ventilation and security would be good, plus some wallpaper to brighten up our rather dark and dull living/dining area would be nice, the grass patch needs weeding and more TLC, and reliable part-time cleaners can never be found!

We're looking forward to the coming one-week Raya and school holiday break for a change in routine :)